Beaumont couple sues Texas City two years after toddler drowns at park

The July 2013 drowning death of a child at a public park is the subject of a lawsuit filed against the city of Texas City.

In a complaint filed June 26 in the Galveston County 405th District Court, Beaumont residents Lecrease Jackson and Cedric Corbin claim a lack of barriers surrounding any part of the bodies of water at Texas City’s Carver Park led to their two-year-old child’s passing on July 6, 2013.

The complainants and the child, whose name is not mentioned in the case, were attending a family reunion around the time of the incident in question. Jackson and Corbin took turns watching the child during the entire gathering, the suit says.

The child reportedly played at the playground at Carver Park “located between two bodies of water, which are artificially created and connect at some point and measure 1,200 feet wide with depths of over ten feet.”

At the end of the reunion, according to the suit, Jackson left the child with Corbin so she could help gather up the other children present. It further states that Corbin “turned to gather items from the picnic table and seconds later noticed that the toddler was not there,” adding Corbin immediately began searching for the child and was soon joined by his co-plaintiff and other family members.

“When they were unable to locate XX, a minor, the plaintiffs contacted the authorities and reported XX missing, fearing that she had fallen into the water,” the original petition says.

A dive team from Crystal Beach subsequently arrived to look for the child.

“After approximately five hours of searching the pond, the divers were able to locate XX, a minor’s, body at the bottom of one of the bodies of water,” the suit says.

The plaintiffs say while there is only one sign warning visitors not to swim in the waters because of snakes, there is not anything physical to bar anyone from entering said waters.

The suit asserts the complainants “were unable to see their child for five days after she drowned” and “have suffered extreme emotional distress.”

“Mr. Corbin began attending a group therapy session at least twice a week with each session lasting at least three hours,” court papers state. “Mr. Corbin and Ms. Jackson have also been prescribed medication to help them with psychological disorders relating to (the) death.”

Consequently, the plaintiffs seek unspecified monetary damages.

They are represented by attorney Laurie Perozzo of The Law Office of Laurie Perozzo, P.L.L.C. in Beaumont.